St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-05-21
A GREAT CORRAL"
The Capture Of 1873 Elephants, and
How Twas Done.
Fighting the Leviathans with Fire-Ons
Bold Animal breaks Through the
Barrier-Release Of the Packed.
Struggling Captlves.

Struggling Captives.
We have already reported that Mr.. G.
SandersOn, the superintendent Of the
Government kheddahs at Dacca, had
made an unprecedented capture of ele-
bhants in the Caro- hills last month.
The details of this exploit are described
by Mr.. Sandcrson himself in the En-
glishmdn:
On the l4th we began the drive in the
forenoon. The elephants were, con-
trary to our expectation and to their
habits hitherto. all together in one large
gathering To arrive at the stockade
they had first to reach a small level
plateau on the top Of a hill. from which
they were to be DETECTED to their left
down slope, at the foot of which was
the stockade, well screened in the
jungle. The two guiding palisades or
wings. converging to the gate of the
stOckade. were run up the hillside the
distance of some two hundred yards, at
fifty yards apart. Three fire-lines were
made through the jungle across the
space between the guiding palisades.
one joining them at the extreme ends,
one half way down, and one about sixty
yards from the gate. On these lines
dry grass was stacked in bundles and
hidden by green leaves. ready to be
fired when the elephants had crossed
the paths. The drive was well managed,
the herd being kept together and not
Over-driven, which often causes a herd
to break up into small parties. The
wind favored us. and the elephants were
got to the plateau near the mouth Of
the funnel-like approach to the gate
without very much trouble. Here the
men closed in from all sides. directed by
spies in the trees, as the grass was too
high for those on foot to see what the
elephants were doing. As the herd
trooped past my post at the end of one
Of the palisades it seemed as If the pro-
cession would never end; my veteran
gun-bearer. Jaffa, whispered they were
''as the insects Of the forest" Tuskers,
females. and young elephants Of all
sizes bundled along, those in the rear
finally showing a good deal of apprehen-
sion as the hunters began to close in on
them. The moment the last had crossed
the outermost fire-line the spies sounded
their rattles. and as if by magic Il had
not spared a few dozen match boxes
among the men) = cracking line Of
flame extended along the hillside. join
ing the extreme ends of the palisade,
and cutting off retreat Immediately
the hitherto comparative silence of the
drive was broken by yelling and blank
firing from all sides. and the elephants
hurried forward i'm a crowd, no longer
following any leader. but each striving
not to be- last. They soon crossed the
second fire-line. and at a signal from
fog-horn-barely audible in the din of
elephants and men-active fellows raced
forward from both ends with torches,
and in a few seconds this line also was
. wall of fire.
The third line was similarly fired
when the herd had passed. and now the
fun waxed fast and furious. Some of
the elephants went into the stockade at
once. but huge male with the right
tusk only (such elephants are called
Gunesh; certain castles of Hindoos
reverence them) took up his position in
the gateway. which was only eleven
feet wide. and no elephant could pass
him. The scene was now extraordinary,
and Colonel and Mrs. Graham Smith.
from a platform in a tree near, had an
excellent view Of it. The space be-
tween the converging palisades was
tightly packed by a struggling mass Of
elephants for many yards from the gate.
Every vestige of jungle had disappeared,
and the men were diminishing with
blank cartridges and torches of blazing
grass ap to within twenty yards or less
of the elephants, and shower of sticks
and clods was kept up over the palisades
by those outside. The roaring of the
youngsters Of the herd. which were
being trampled and squeezed. COM
bined with the noise Of rattles. guns,
and of the fire consuming the Jungle
between the palisades in the direction
whence the elephants had come, made
It impossible to make oneself heard bv
any one even at ones elbow. I fired
several charges Of shot into the rear
most of the elephants. though really L
thought them little to blame for not
..moving on;'' it was not for want Of
will or pushing. as the angle of their
hind legs as they bored desperately into
the mass before them mutely testified!
At last the opposition gave way; the
Gunesh and others which were stopping
the way were borne onward into the
stockade by the pressure behind. and
the animals in the rear made renewed